How to Improve Your VO2 Max & Build Endurance

VO2 max training: pick a modality you won't get injured doing, not the hardest one

VO2 max = cardiac output x oxygen extraction. Before choosing a protocol, diagnose your limiting factor (stroke volume, lung mechanics, muscle extraction). Pick a modality you're technically proficient in to avoid injury from adding volume too fast. Train across three intensity zones, spending most time in the lowest.

"make when trying to improve their vo2max or endurance in general is they hop into things like running and then they just start adding volume that's so they do one mile today and two miles the next week and three or etc or intensity so they do you know 30 seconds of hard work and then they do three rounds of that and the next week they do four rounds then five rounds and we start building this intensity and volume on top of either truly dysfunctional or suboptimal movement patterns and"

Joel Jameson's Metamorphosis: 8-week VO2 max program for beginners to moderate

This 8-week program by conditioning legend Joel Jameson is best for low-to-moderate fitness. It builds a foundation in the first month before increasing intensity. Elite athletes may need to be more aggressive -- an Olympic boxer spent 75% of time at 60-82% heart rate and only 5% above 88%.

"Here in one second, but it's important to recognize this is probably best for people who are of a fairly low training age or physical fitness to up to kind of moderate. It can absolutely be used for high level and elite endurance athletes, but it's not optimized and designed for that cause."

Endurance day structure: aerobic plyos for tendon prep before conditioning sets

Warmup with 5 min light aerobic movement, then hip circles, windshield wipers, and leg swings. Start conditioning with aerobic plyometrics (pogo hops, jump rope) for 2-3 min to prepare tendons and prevent Achilles injuries. Run endurance work before strength in an endurance-focused program.

"You want to give your tissue the ability to get ready for that. You've probably heard and seen and been aware of the Achilles snapping epidemic that's happening right now. A lot of reasons that that's actually going on. But one way to make sure you hedge your bets against that is just to make sure your Achilles is being loaded often. So spending two to three minutes hopping up and down prior to activity is a pretty good way to build long-term resilience throughout that joint. So that's in large part what that stuff is in there for."

Marathon training example: 3 miles of repeats + 30 min tempo run + fartlek in one week

A sample week for a 230+ lb marathon trainee -- Day 1 is upper body lifting then 3x1-mile repeats plus 3x half-mile repeats (4.5 total miles). Day 2 is lower body lifting then a 30-min tempo run at marathon pace. Day 3 is a fartlek run with varied intensity. Lift before running so upper body doesn't interfere.

"Upper body is now taken care of. After this, we're going to go into our running exercise. Now you notice they've chosen to lift first and then run after that, but the upper body lift is not going to interfere with our running really whatsoever. And so the running here is going to be three one-mile runs with a three-minute walk in between."